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| A reflection of Mecca Covered Bridge from a nearby building. April, 2010 dwm photo |
Just one problem, I didn't have a good way to keep track of which ones I had left.
It's the only reason I can figure for duplicate shots. The Indiana Covered Bridge directory was given to me later, and it became my bible where I checked off each bridge as I found it.
Our first trip to Mecca (of course I needed to use that line) was in July, 2009. Somehow we found our way back in April, 2010.
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| Mecca Bridge over Big Raccoon Creek. July, 2009 (dwm) |
The history I found on Mecca indicates a group of settlers became known as Arabians. When members of the group set off for the local business district, they were said to be on a journey to Mecca.
Frankly, I'm not sure either version of the story at the Parke County bridge festival website is very credible.
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| Mecca Bridge was closed to traffic in 1964. April, 2010 dwm photo |
Soon, there was a factory to make cloth and another sawmill. By 1855, flatboats were floating downriver for the long trip to New Orleans with packed pork.
At the turn of the century the Indiana Sewer Pipe Company set up shop along with two clay plants which eventually employed 300 people. In 1900, two thousand people called Mecca home. It was the high-water mark for the town.
In 2010, 335 folks lived there.
The bridge is easy to find, right off U.S. 41 and there is plenty of room to walk around. While it's had work done, it still has the look of a very old bridge.
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| Parke County Internet image |
Built: 1873
Style: Burr Arch
Length: 150 feet over Big Raccoon Creek
Builder: J.J. Daniels
Follow this link to see more covered bridges.
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